Interesting report on offshore wind farms

[bulletbob]

I have been having some spirited debate with other members here concerning offshore gas/oil rigs which I favor.. Some don't of course.. Just for fun, I typed in the search engine "Fishing offshore wind farms"... From the studies done, the areas around the farms are lit up with life, including dolphins which eat the fish that come into the farms... Just about what you would expect.. the farms use a lot of rock to anchor them and build up the bottom, and the mussels, crabs, barnacles, urchins are on the new reefs, and the fish of all sizes find them... So if no one wants oil rigs, how about "blow rigs?.. The fish like them fine... bob

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120410093318.htm

[TheTenman]

Very tough issue, it's just not as cut and dry building it and the fish will flourish.

[MVP]

Monty on the morning Star has had some serious conversations in regards to this very topic last year.

[bulletbob]

Very tough issue, it's just not as cut and dry building it and the fish will flourish.

Why should it be tough?.. Clean energy, no fossil fuel, renewable.. Just put them far enough offshore that they are not seen from shore, on sandy bottom where there isn;t as much life, away from shipping channels,, I guess I don't really see the downside... In NJ waters they would be alive in a few years. bob

[Flygaff]

Great clean technology however I can see this going the other way. Our taxes will pay for this. My biggest concern would be exclusion zones around the turbines. What are the odds of this being done right so all can benefit? just my 2 cents

[bulletbob]

I don't know about the taxes, thats a good question.. From what I know about wind farms[ lots of them up here] some are privately funded and maintained. One off the coast of Canada is privately funded. I guess they would have to lease the ocean bottom from the federal govt, not sure.. If the areas directly adjacent to the turbines is off limits, and that would probably be the case in this age of bomb crazy maniacs, I bet you would still have good fishing for pelagics in the open water between the turbines.. If they are publicly funded even partially, I would say there could be areas maintained in the vicinity as large artificial reef sites as part of the deal.
Just saying, if oil and gas exploration of the North and Mid Atlantic states is not going to happen, maybe wind farms would be a good alternative. For clean renewable energy, with a side benefit of a lot of new habitat for a wide variety of fish species, and all kinds of other sea life... bob

[tombanjo]

The argument against wind farms is the bird kill. Not quite as strident though if the bird kill were oil based.

[NoLimit]

The argument against wind farms is the bird kill. Not quite as strident though if the bird kill were oil based.

Thats the truth.

These people crying about a few thousand birds killed during an oil spill every 10 years but these wind mills are killing about 30 million birds a year. Plus they have killed over a hundred workers. http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk/accidents.pdf

You dont even want to see some of this stuff - pictures of guys stranded on top of a burning windmill with no way to get down. They did not make it.

The bottom line is that windmills are lethal and cant make money without taxpayer subsidies.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/12/21/why-its-the-end-of-the-line-for-wind-power/#30eab71b12ef

[bulletbob]

The argument against wind farms is the bird kill. Not quite as strident though if the bird kill were oil based.

Not sure that would be a major problem 20-30 miles offshore.. A few gulls maybe.. Here's the problem.. People bitch about coal and its problems, about oil and its problems, about wind and its problems, about nuclear and its problems.. Are we REALLY supposed to believe solar is the only answer??
Personally I like fossil fuels and nuclear, but I get bitched out about it.. So I accept the offshore wind farms as a possible alternative that would be environmentally sound, but lots of people are against that as well.

Something has to heat,light, power and transport us... bob

[tombanjo]

Seems that if the alternative power choice du jour can suck tax money while feeding a political power base without offending too many voters will be advanced energetically, so to speak.

See: Warming, global.

[makosnax]

I read somewhere that a windmill can never generate enough energy to match the energy spent in building in one.

[bulletbob]

I read somewhere that a windmill can never generate enough energy to match the energy spent in building in one.
I wouldn't doubt that...